NeBIO 9(1): Swargiari & Buragohain

Wild edible mushroom trade in the local markets by tribal people of Kokrajhar, Assam

Bhisma Narayan Swargiari and Rubul Buragohain

ABSTRACT

Collection of wild edible mushroom is important for livelihood in rural peoples of Kokrajhar, Assam. Wild edible mushroom collected from forests and sold in the local markets by the ethnic tribes of Kokrajhar have been documented to preserve their traditional knowledge and ethnic relevance. The ethnic tribal population specially the Bodos have considerable ethnomycological knowledge based on which they discreetly collect and sell the wild edible mushroom. Diverse types of the wild edible mushroom were observed to be sold in the local markets. Wild edible fungi were found to be a potential NTFP with higher demand in the local markets. In the study, a total of 10 different species/types of wild edible mushrooms were recorded that belong to six genera and six families. Cantherallus cibarius was the most abundantly available species whereas Macrolepiota procera was rarely available in the local markets. Termitomyces sp. and Volvariella volvacea showed highest market demand in terms of edibility. But the potentialities of such species are yet to be studied in detail for the economic upliftment of rural tribals. In this study, an attempt has been made to document wild edible mushroom species that are frequently eaten and sold for livelihood by ethnic tribes of Kokrajhar, Assam, India.